Safety device.



G. W. QUIN. SAFETY DEVICE.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN.14, 1914.

Patented July 14, 1914 Wi-l'weoozo I THE NORRIS PETERS CO.. FHOTO-LITHQ,WASHINGTON. D. C.

CHARLES W. QUIN, OF CENTRALIA, WASHINGTON.

SAFETY DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 14:, 1914.

Application filed January 14, 1914. Serial No. 812,114.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CI-IARLns WV. QUIN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Centralia, in the county of Lewis, State of Washington, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Devices; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same. i

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in railway safetydevices, particularly that class tending to prevent derailments.

The object of the present invention resides in the provision of meansassociated with the axle of a railway car which normally'tends toprevent derailment of the wheels carried by the axle and which, shouldderailment occur, will apply the emergency brakes of the train or givean alarm, said means being so associated with the axle that they areoperative in all pivotal positions of the axle.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of such adevice whiclrmay be associated with any conventional form of railroadcar without substantial modification thereof and which comprises aminimum number of parts so that it may be manufactured and installed ata comparatively low cost.

lVith these and other objects in view, the invention resides in thenovel combination, formation and arrangement of parts to be hereinafterdescribed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings and moreparticularly pointed out in the claims hereto ap.

pended.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings wherein similar charactersof reference designate correspondin parts throughout the several viewsand in which:

Figure 1 is an end elevation of a railroad car, with the improved deviceassociated therewith, Fig. 2 is an end view of the device, Fig. 3 is acentral vertical sectional view, Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view showingthe electrical circuits, Fig. 5 is a horizontal cross-sectional view andFig. 6 is a side elevation of the lower portion of the device, showing amodification of the axle engaging member.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, 5designates gen erally the body of a railway car which includes thelongitudinal sills 6. Disposed under the car is an axle 7 carrying atits endsthe wheels 8 seating on therails 9 and provlded with the usualflanges 10 engaging the innersides of the rails. For tending to preventderailment of the wheels, asecurmg plate 11 is disposed under theintermediate sills and directly over the central portion of the axle. Acylinder 12 is profvided which is open at one end and which is providedat said end with a laterally extending flange 13, bolts 14 being passedthrough the flange and through the plate '11 into the sills 6 wherebythe cylinder is supported. Slidable through a bore 15 formed in thebottom of the cylinder is a bar 16 whichis provided inwardly of thecylinder with a head 17. A strong expansible spring 18 is coiled in thecylinder between the plate 11 and the head 17 and the lower end. of thebar carries a member disposed over the axle and spaced slightly abovethe same. This member comprises a yoke 19 carrying a sleeve 20 at itsbight portion which threadedly receives the lower end of the bar 16, apin 21 being passed through the bar and sleeve to prevent any possibleundesired displacement. The yoke is disposed with its arms embracing theaxle and with its bight portion slightly spaced thereabove. The arms ofthe yoke are relatively wide so that they will not bind upon the axle.To reduce the friction which would otherwise result from engagement ofthe axle with the arms of the yoke, said arms are provided at theirlower ends with cutaway portions 22, in which are positioned rollers 23rotatable on shafts journaled in the sides of the arms and held againstdisplacement by the pins 25 passed therethrough and through the arms.This form of the device is adapted for use when the car is provided withthe well-known rigid or non-rotatable truck. Thus should the wheels tendto jump off the track, the axle will rise to engage this member beforethe flanges 8 can pass over the tops of the rails 9, and tend to raisethe bar against the action of the spring 18 so that the spring 18resiliently urges the axle down toward its proper position. It will beunderstood that the device operates in this manner when the train istraveling at a high speed and when the axle by means of the wheelsstriking a small ob struction'moves upwardly without imparting anysubstantial upward movement to the body of the car.

' In Fig. 6 a modification of the axle engaging" member is shown, bymeans of which the device is adapted for use on rotatable trucks,Instead of providing the yoke 19, there is provided merely a disk 26,'having formed cen trally on its top face the sleeve as in theaforementioned member. Thisdisk is of suflicient size that when thetruck is partially rotated in relation to the car body, as"

' in going around a curve, the axlezwill always engage the disk foractuating the device in the manner previously described.

Means are providedwhereby rising of the axle will close an electriccircuit whereby the emergency brakes will be applied or an alarm will begiven when the axle has risen to a point at which there is danger of thewheels leaving the rails. "This means is accomplished byza plate ofinsulating ma-' terial carried by the centralportion of the plate 11 andhaving spaced contact fingers 28 secured on its bottom face by bolts 29'passed therethrough and through the plate 11. These contact fingersextend downwardly and have their free ends diverging. The bolts arespaced from the plate ll'by suitable insulating sleeves 30 and thesebolts have threaded nuts on nuts 31 forming therewith binding posts forsecuring thewires 32 forming part of an electrical circuit includingpreferably magnet means 33 for setting the emergency brakes of the car.For closing'the circuit, a Stem 34: is secured on the head 17 of thebar. '16 by a flange 35 at its lower end and insulated therefrom by theplate 36. This stem carries at its upper end a ball 37 which when theaxle raises the bar to the danger point engages between the contactfingers 28 and completes the electrical circuit therethrough;

From the foregoing it is. observed that a structure has beenprovidedwhich is efii resiliently urging said member to said point ofsuspension, an electrical circuit carried by the car body and includingmeans for stopping the car'and a normally open switch and means carriedby said member forclosing the switch.

2. A device for preventing derailment comprising the combination with acar body and an axle, of a member slidably suspended ata pointspacedabove the axle and resilient means forurgingthe said member downwardlyto said point of suspension.

23. .A device for preventing derailment comprising the combination witha car body and axle, of a member slidably suspended from the car body atapoint spaced above "and adj acent the axle'and means resiliently urgingthe said member downwardly to said point of suspension.

4, A i device for preventing derailment comprising the combmation with acar body and an axle, of a cylindrical member suspended from the carbody, a bar "slidable through theend'of the member and provided. 1inwardly thereofwith a head, a spring disposed in the cylindrical memberand bearing against the head and a yoke carried by the lower end ofthebar'and having its arms embracing the axle.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature, in the presence-of twowitnesses.

' CHARLES w. QUIN.

' 'VVitnesses:

E. R. THOMPSON,- J. F. R. WEBBER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained fo r fiye centseachfby'addressiiig the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. O. I

